Bill Frist facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bill Frist
Official portrait, c. 1995
Senate Majority Leader
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
Whip	Mitch McConnell
Preceded by	Tom Daschle
Succeeded by	Harry Reid
Leader of the Senate Republican Conference
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
Deputy	Mitch McConnell
Preceded by	Trent Lott
Succeeded by	Mitch McConnell
Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2003
Leader	Trent Lott
Preceded by	Mitch McConnell
Succeeded by	George Allen
United States Senator from Tennessee
In office January 3, 1995 – January 2, 2007
Preceded by	Jim Sasser
Succeeded by	Bob Corker
Personal details
Born	William Harrison Frist (1952-02-22) February 22, 1952 (age 73) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Karyn McLaughlin ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 2012)​ Tracy Roberts ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	3
Parent	Thomas F. Frist Sr. (father)
Education	Princeton University (AB) Harvard University (MD)
Signature

William Harrison Frist (born February 22, 1952) is an American doctor, businessman, and politician. He was a U.S. Senator for Tennessee from 1995 to 2007. As a member of the Republican Party, he became the Senate Majority Leader from 2003 to 2007. This means he was the main leader for his party in the Senate.

Bill Frist was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He studied at Princeton University and became a doctor at Harvard Medical School. He was a special surgeon who performed heart and lung transplants. He even started the Vanderbilt Transplant Center. In 1994, he was elected to the Senate.

Before becoming the Senate Majority Leader, he led a group that helped elect more Republican senators. He took over from Tom Daschle. As leader, Frist helped President George W. Bush pass important laws. These included tax cuts and a new Medicare program to help seniors with prescription drugs. Frist kept a promise to only serve two terms. So, he left the Senate in 2007.

After leaving the Senate, he became the chairman of the global board for The Nature Conservancy. This group works to protect nature. He also helps lead health care investment companies. He co-chairs the Health Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center. This group works with both political parties. He also hosts a Podcast about health and policy.

Early Life and Education

Bill Frist was born in Nashville, Tennessee. His father, Thomas F. Frist Sr., was also a doctor. His father helped start a big health care company called Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). Bill Frist's brother, Thomas F. Frist, Jr., later became the head of HCA.

Frist finished high school in Nashville in 1970. He then went to Princeton University and graduated in 1974. In 1972, he had a summer job with a Congressman. The Congressman told him that if he wanted to be a politician, he should first have another career. So, Frist went to Harvard Medical School. He became a doctor in 1978.

While in medical school, Frist did some research experiments. He wrote about these in his book, Transplant. He said he felt pressure to succeed. This topic became a discussion point later in his political career.

Medical Career

After medical school, Frist trained to be a surgeon. He worked at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also spent time in England. From 1985 to 1986, he trained at Stanford University School of Medicine. There, he learned from Dr. Norman Shumway. Dr. Shumway was a pioneer in heart transplants.

After his training, Frist joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He started a program for heart and lung transplants. He performed the first heart-lung transplant in the Southeast U.S. In 1990, he did Tennessee's first single-lung transplant. In 1989, he started the Vanderbilt Transplant Center. This center now does many heart transplants.

In 1991, Frist helped Lieutenant Colonel David Petraeus. Petraeus had been shot in a training accident. Later, when Frist was a Senator and Petraeus was a General, their paths crossed again. They even ran a race together in 2002.

In 1992, Frist worked to bring back organ donation cards to Tennessee driver's licenses. He received an award for his efforts.

Even as a Senator, Frist continued to use his medical skills. In 1995, he helped a person having a heart attack in a Senate building. In 1998, he gave emergency aid to victims of a shooting at the United States Capitol. He helped both the victims and the shooter.

Frist often went on medical missions around the world. He helped people in Africa and during disasters. These included hurricanes, earthquakes, and famines.

During his 20 years as a doctor, Frist performed over 150 heart and lung transplants. He also wrote many medical articles. He is certified in both general and heart surgery.

United States Senator (1995–2007)

In 1990, Bill Frist met with former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker. Baker suggested he run for the Senate in 1994. Frist started building support. He worked on health care task forces. He also helped with George H. W. Bush's 1992 campaign.

Senate photograph, circa 1990s.

During his 1994 election campaign, Frist promised to serve no more than two terms. He kept this promise.

Frist ran against the sitting Senator, Jim Sasser. Frist said Sasser was sending Tennessee's money to Washington. He said, "While I've been transplanting lungs and hearts to heal Tennesseans, Jim Sasser has been transplanting Tennesseans' wallets to Washington." Frist won the election by a large amount. He became the first doctor in the Senate since 1938.

In his 2000 reelection campaign, Frist won easily. He received the most votes ever for a statewide candidate. His campaign was later fined for not sharing information about a loan. Frist paid a fine of $11,000.

Frist supported the Iraq war while in the Senate. He supported the first invasion and the war that followed.

Frist became well-known in 1998 during a shooting at the United States Capitol. He was the closest doctor and gave immediate medical help. He said, "You’re trained to respond. … In moments like that, you are not a judge, not a jury, you are a physician."

As the only doctor in the Senate, Frist was the main speaker for Congress during the 2001 anthrax attacks. He wrote a book called When Every Moment Counts. It gave information on how to respond to biological attacks like anthrax.

Frist looks on as President George W. Bush signs the North Korea Nonproliferation Act of 2006 (Pub.L. 109-353) into law.

During his 12 years in the Senate, Frist served on many important committees. These included committees on finance, health, and foreign relations. He also led subcommittees on disability policy and public health.

As the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, he helped Republicans win back control of the Senate in 2002. His committee raised a lot of money for elections.

Senate Majority Leader (2003–2007)

On December 23, 2002, Frist was chosen as the Senate Majority Leader. He was one of the youngest leaders in U.S. history. He had also served fewer years in Congress than most past leaders.

Legislative Successes

In 2003, Frist had many successes in passing laws. He helped pass President Bush's tax cuts. He also helped create the Medicare Modernization Act. This law added a prescription drug benefit for seniors.

Frist was also very important in creating the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This program provides a lot of money to fight AIDS around the world. It has saved millions of lives. Frist had seen the AIDS problem during his medical trips to Africa. He worked with Senator John Kerry to start this idea. When President Bush made PEPFAR a priority, Frist built support from both parties to pass the law quickly.

Frist continued to support global health. He helped pass the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005. This law made sure that clean water and sanitation were part of U.S. foreign aid. This is because a lack of clean water causes many preventable deaths.

After the 2001 anthrax attacks, Frist led the Senate to pass the Project BioShield Act. This law provided $5.6 billion for research. It aimed to develop vaccines and treatments for chemical, biological, and nuclear attacks. In 2006, Congress passed another law, BARDA. This strengthened BioShield by creating an agency to develop medical defenses. These laws became very important during the COVID-19 pandemic years later.

Frist with Sen. Lamar Alexander and Interior Secretary Gale Norton

Stem Cells

In 2001, President George W. Bush limited federal money for human embryonic stem cell research. Frist supported the President at first. But over time, the available stem cell lines became fewer. By 2005, only 22 good lines remained.

In 2006, Frist said that the limit on stem cell lines was too strict. He led the Senate to pass a law to expand federal funding for stem cell research. This law would have allowed research on stem cells from embryos not used in fertilization. Some groups disagreed with this law. However, former First Lady Nancy Reagan praised it. President Bush vetoed the law, and Congress could not get enough votes to pass it.

Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA)

In 2006, just before Congress ended its session, Frist added a law about online gambling. This law, called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), was added to a larger bill about port security. The UIGEA later led to a government action against online poker sites in 2011.

Terri Schiavo Case

In the Terri Schiavo case, a woman with brain damage, her husband wanted to remove her feeding tube. Frist disagreed with removing the tube. In 2005, he said he questioned the doctors' diagnosis. He had watched video footage of Schiavo. After her death, an autopsy showed severe brain damage. Frist defended his actions after the autopsy.

Campaigns and Elections

In 2004, Frist gave a speech at the Republican National Convention. He talked about his background as a doctor. He focused on health care issues. He supported the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Frist also spoke about medical malpractice lawsuits. He called some lawyers "predators." He wanted to limit the amount of money courts could award for non-economic damages in these cases.

During the 2004 election, Frist visited the home state of the opposing party's leader, Tom Daschle. Daschle's opponent, John Thune, won the election. Later, Frist and Daschle worked together at the Bipartisan Policy Center. They often spoke together about health care.

Frist at the inauguration of his successor Bob Corker (second left). Also pictured are Tennessee's former Senator Howard Baker (second right), and Senior Senator Lamar Alexander (far right).

Frist had promised to leave the Senate after two terms in 2006. He did not run for reelection. He strongly supported Republican candidate Bob Corker. Corker won the election by a small amount.

After the Senate

Political Involvement

People thought Frist might run for president in 2008. They also thought he might run for Governor of Tennessee in 2010. But he did not run for either office.

In 2009, Frist said he would have voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This health care law was opposed by all Republicans. In 2011, he asked Republicans not to try to get rid of the law.

Business Career

In 2008, Frist became a partner in Cressey & Co. This company invests in health care businesses. Today, he is a special partner and chairman there.

In 2013, Frist helped start Aspire Health. This company provided care for seriously ill patients at home. It became the largest company of its kind before being bought in 2018.

In 2015, Frist co-founded Frist Cressey Ventures. This company invests in new health care businesses. He is still an active partner there.

Frist also leads the board of Monogram Health. This company helps patients with long-term kidney conditions.

Helping Others (Philanthropy)

In 2009, Frist started SCORE. This group works to improve K-12 education in Tennessee. Frist has been the chairman of SCORE's board. Each year, he gives a report on the state of education in Tennessee. He supports higher academic standards and better teaching.

In 2010, Frist was on the board of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. This fund raised money for earthquake relief in Haiti.

Frist also started and leads Hope Through Healing Hands. This is a non-profit group focused on global health. He also leads NashvilleHealth, which works on community health. This group did a survey of Nashville's health in 2019. It also reviewed Nashville's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Board Service

Frist has served on many different boards. He is currently the chairman of the global board of The Nature Conservancy. He has been on this board since 2015. He also served on the boards of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

He is currently on the boards of several health care companies. He has also served on the board of trustees for Princeton University.

Frist has had many roles with the Smithsonian Institution. He was on its board of regents from 1997 to 2007. The Smithsonian is a group of museums and research centers.

From 2007 to 2010, he was on the board of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. This government group works to fight poverty around the world.

Other Activities

Frist in 2009

After leaving the Senate, Frist taught at Princeton and Vanderbilt Universities. He taught about international economic policy and health policy.

Frist also co-chaired One Vote '08 with former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. This campaign wanted to make global health a priority in the 2008 presidential election. Frist traveled to Africa for this campaign.

Since 2011, Frist has been a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center. He co-chairs the Health Project there with Tom Daschle.

Frist is a trained pilot. He used this skill to fly to all 95 Tennessee counties when he was campaigning. He also ran seven marathons between 1998 and 2001.

Books

In 1989, Frist published his first book, Transplant: A Heart Surgeon's Account of the Life-And-Death Dramas of the New Medicine.

In 1995, he edited "Grand Rounds in Transplantation." This book shared case studies about organ transplants.

In 1999, Frist co-authored Tennessee Senators, 1911–2001. This book was about Tennessee's senators.

In 2002, Frist published When Every Moment Counts. This book gave advice on how to stay safe during a bioterrorism attack. He wrote it after the 2001 anthrax attacks.

In 2003, Frist and Shirley Wilson released Good People Beget Good People. This book was about the history of the Frist family.

In 2009, Frist published A Heart to Serve. This book shared details about his family, his time as a surgeon, and his work as a U.S. Senator. It also covered his medical missions and important laws he helped pass.

In 2013, he co-edited An Introduction to Health Policy.

Personal Life

In 1981, Frist married Karyn McLaughlin. They had three sons: Harrison, Jonathan, and Bryan. They divorced in 2012.

On May 29, 2015, Frist married Tracy Lynne Roberts. They live in Franklin, Tennessee.

Finances

As of 2005, Bill Frist had a lot of money. Much of it came from owning stock in Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). This was the hospital chain his father and brother started.

The Frist family has given a lot of money to Princeton University. They pledged $25 million in 1997 for a new campus center.

Bill and Karyn Frist were in charge of a family foundation. This foundation had over $2 million in 2004. Frist was questioned in 2005 about some stock sales. The investigation ended after 18 months, and no charges were filed. Frist said he always acted ethically.

Recognition

Frist was named one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Time Magazine also named him one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2005.

In 2001, he received the Golden Plate Award. In 2003, Princeton University gave him the Woodrow Wilson Award. This award is for alumni who show "Princeton in the nation’s service."

In 2011, he received the Al Ueltschi Award. This award recognized his life-saving work around the world.

Between 1997 and 2006, Frist received honorary degrees from five historically black colleges and universities.

Electoral History

Images for kids

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  Bill Frist's signature

See also

In Spanish: Bill Frist para niños